Time Apart
by vindictive-much
Summary: Another filler. Time apart makes you realize just how much you love a person and how much you need them. Sometimes you realize that you loved that person at all. This is how because of some time apart, love is born, reborn, made stronger, and returned.


Time Apart

Summary: Another filler. Time apart makes you realize just how much you love a person and how much you need them. Sometimes you realize that you loved that person at all. This is how because of some time apart, love is born, reborn, made stronger, and returned.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything!

XxX

Chapter 1: A Sick and Wrong Love Realized and Returned

Michael didn't know why, but he never thought he'd be so glad to be going home. After a month in Cabo, he, his son, and his father were going back to California. After Lucille was arrested, Michael and his son decided to leave for Cabo for a while and let the family take care of themselves. Before they left they went back to the model home to return the chashiers cheques (Michael's concience got the better of him) and pack. Luckily no one saw them. Halfway there, though, Michael discovered his father hiding in the Aztec Tomb. Michael couldn't believe his father, leaving his own wife to be arrested like that! Then again, it was his father. The only thing that made it worse was that George Michael couldn't stop talking about Maebey, who after a month he still couldn't get over, and his father had taken to carrying around Franklin, who had been left on the ship by Gob. Michael couldn't stand the puppet. It was the one thing that reminded him of his brother, who he had been thinking about quite often lately.

"Oh finally, we're going home!" George Sr. cheered, "I can't wait to see Lucille again!"

"No (bleep)ing way, man! Ya really think she's gonna wanna see ya after ya let her get arrested?" Franklin said.

"I didn't want to leave her!" George Sr. defended, "I was scared! You know I'm a coward!"

"I know exactly what Gob would say if he were here," Michael thought, smiling, "He'd agree with Dad and call him a chicken, then do that ridiculous chicken dance of his" there he went again, thinking so fondly of Gob.

"I miss Maebey," George Michael said, "I wonder if she misses me..."

"Aw, George Michael! I thought we talked about this..." Michael groaned. The whole month he tried to help George Michael get over Maebey, but it was no use. He thought them being apart would help, but it seemed to only make things worse, "She may not be related to you by blood, but she's still family. Going after her would be wrong" George Michael said nothing more. He didn't want to talk about this with his father anymore. A week ago they actually got in a fight about it, though it was quickly resolved. George Michael still loved Maebey, and he always would, but he doubted that she still felt that way. The time he spent away from her just made his love stronger.

Michael hated the reason why, but he felt so strongly that it was wrong for George Michael and Maebey to be together even though they weren't really related and that it was still incest. It was because he couldn't deal with his own incestuous feelings for his brother. Recently he had fallen in love with Gob, but he kept resisting those feelings because they were sick and wrong. He didn't know when it started or how, but he knew those feelings were real, but he couldn't act on them, despite Gob obviously feeling the same way. He'd realized long ago that Gob's behaviour towards him was more than him being pathetic and needy. While Michael was lost in thoughts that he shouldn't be having, he heard his son singing 'What Hurts the Most' by Rascall Flatts, "What hurts the most, was being so close, and having so much to say, and watching you walk away, and never knowing, what could have been, and not seeing that love in you, is what I was trying to do"

XxX

George Michael wasn't the only Bluth relating to that song right now. Gob was currently laying on the couch in Steve Holt's house, listening to that same song. He had been living with Steve and Eve Holt for the past month since with his yacht gone, Lindsay not wanting Gob living in the model home because of what happened at the party, and his mother not caring he had no where else to go, and Steve had persuaded his mother into letting Gob stay with them for a while. Gob had been listening to this song a lot lately, ever since Michael took off. He missed his brother, who he loved more than anything.

"Are you okay?" Eve asked, sitting in a chair opposite of the couch. She eyed the man that had once been her boyfriend suspiciously. What has wrong with him? All he did was sit around depressed, and when he wasn't, he was busy with his half-assed over-parenting.

"Sure, why do you ask?" Gob asked glumly.

"Because in the month that you've been living here you're either insanely happy or hysterically depressed," Eve answered, "Are you, like, bipolar or something?"

"No... just... really upset about something..." Gob answered. He was upset. He was upset that Michael was gone. He had lost his little brother and didn't know when he'd see him again. He'd also started trying to be a better father to Steve, because he knew that it was what Michael would want him to do, "Eve, do you ever wish that you could have done things differently? Like, say you loved someone and never told them. Do you ever wish that you had because now you've lost them, possibly forever?" Gob asked.

"...What?" Eve responded. Why was Gob Bluth, someone that thought that love and an erection were the same thing, asking this sort of question, and to her, an ex, of all people? "Um... why?" she asked.

"Because recently I lost someone I loved and I never told them how I felt," Gob answered, "And I may never get the chance to tell them again. And his son stole my yacht!"

"What? But didn't your nephew steal your yacht?" Eve asked, now confused.

"Yeah, why?" Gob answered, not realizing that he had just practically given away who he was in love with.

"But that would mean... you're in love with your brother!" Eve realized, completely shocked.

"No!" Gob said, trying to come up with an excuse, "I love him, but I'm not in love with him. I mean, I never got to tell him that I love him as my brother because his son stole my yacht and they went off to Cabo after my mom got arrested. The only reason that he stole it was to get back at me for dating his ex-girlfriend"

"I can't believe you actually dated a sixteen year-old girl," Eve said, "What is wrong with you?"

"Blame my parents, they screwed me up," was all Gob had to say, then after recalling thoughts he had about Michael earlier, "They screwed me up good..."

XxX

The three Bluths had just returned and docked the boat. George Sr. immediately ran off to find Buster, who would no doubt be able to take him to Lucille, leaving Michael and George Michael to get their stuff off of the boat. George Michael was being relatively quiet. He was waiting for the right moment to bring up an important issue in the him and Maebey dating being incest case. He just didn't know how to bring it up, "Dad, um... you know how you said that me and Maebey dating would be incest?" George Michael asked.

"Yeah, and...?" Michael answered, knowing where this was going.

"That's nothing compared to if you were to act on your feelings for Uncle Gob" George Michael said.

"WHAT!?" Michael said, startled as he nearly fell over, "What do you mean?"

"Dad, I've seen the way you look at each other. I know you're obviously in denial about it becuase, well, he's brother and you're just like that, but..." George Michael said, "You have to admit, me and Maebey dating isn't as bad as that. Actually... the two of you, it kind of makes sense"

"How does it make sense?" Michael asked, getting irritated by this.

"I mean, Popop messed both of you up by making you guys fight each other when you were kids, and Gob's always hugging you, and you never tell him to stop no matter how agressively he hugs you," George Michael answered, "And the whole month you've been thinking about him. You always get that look in your eyes you get when he's around. Dad, I know it's crazy, but you can't deny the obvious, and it may be incest, but does that really matter?"

"...Oh God, I can't believe this..." Michael groaned. There was no denying it now. George Michael had figured it out, and it seemed that he was obvious.

"Dad, I know how you feel. I felt the same way when I first fell in love with Maebey, that it was wrong, but then I grew to accept it," George Michael said. He knew his dad was distressed about this, and he couldn't blame him, "Dad, if you love Uncle Gob, you should act on those feelings. He obviously feels the same way about you"

"Are you kidding me? That's crazy! It's wrong!" Michael protested. He couldn't believe that he was hearing this from his own son!

"What makes it wrong, Dad?" George Michael asked, "Just because you guys are brothers? You've been doing what's best for everyone else for too long. For once just do what's best for you and let yourself be happy, even if it means being in a relationship with your brother. Dad, other people may judge you, but I won't. I won't tell anyone about this, I promise" Michael looked at this son in disbelief. George Michael was actually encouraging him to have an affair with his own brother! This was crazy. It was sick and wrong, but... he thought for a moment about what it would be like to be in a relationship with Gob. Would it really be that bad for them to be together? They both wanted the relationship, plus Michael hadn't had sex in almost a year and Gob had been trying to seduce him for too long to keep count of. Should he actually persue a relationship with Gob?

"I can't believe I'm even considering this, but... you're right, George Michael," Michael said, "Maybe I should let myself be happy for once"

"Great!" George Michael said, "You go find him, I'll finish up here"

"Are you sure?" Michael said, "I could stay and-"

"Dad, it's okay," George Michael said, "Just do what you have to go do"

"Thanks, buddy" Michael said, hugging his son. Sometimes it was George Michael that had to talk some sense into Michael, even if it was to have an incestuous romance with his brother.

XxX

Gob had decided to go for a walk to clear his head, though it didn't seem to be working. All he could think about was Michael. Why didn't he just tell him how he felt when he had the chance? Sure, he was very open about his feelings towards Michael with the casual touches, hugging, and of course the CD he had made for him, and once Gob had tried to kiss Michael, but he still felt like he needed to say it to him. Gob missed being able to hold Michael and nuzzle him affectionately. Now he was going crazy, because he was hearing Michael's voice calling his name. No, he wasn't! Michael was running down the street towards him. Gob ran to Michael and hugged him tightly. Michael had missed the feeling of Gob's arms around him, but he didn't realize it until they had been apart for so long, "Mikey... I missed you so much..." Gob said, feeling like he was about to cry. He probably would, too.

"I missed you, too, Gob," Michael said, returning the embrace. He noticed people walking by staring at them. For once he didn't care. All he wanted to do was hold his brother, "Gob, there's something I have to tell you..."

"Yeah? What is it?" Gob asked.

"Not here," was all Michael said, "We should go somewhere with more privacy" it was getting dark out and there were people everywhere. He didn't want his love confession to be in front of so many people, especially knowing how Gob would react.

"Okay. I've been staying with Steve Holt and his mom for a while since you guys took the yacht," Gob said, "Steve's on a date and Eve's at some book thing so we can go there to talk"

XxX

Michael felt nervous. Then again why wouldn't he be? He was about to tell his brother he loved him. He and Gob were in the spare bedroom that Gob had been staying in for the past month, and they were sitting on the bed, "Michael, what is it you wanted to tell me?" Gob asked.

"I... I... I love you..." Michael finally managed to say. The next thing he knew, Gob had pulled him into an embrace and was kissing him passionately. Michael never thought that he'd be kissing his brother, but here he was. Michael wrapped his arms around Gob's neck and pressed himself against his brother. For the first time in so long he felt like everything was alright. When they broke apart for air, they looked deeply into each other's eyes. This was supposed to be wrong, but it felt so damn right.

"I love you, too, Mikey" Gob said before bringing his lips back to Michael's. He couldn't believe this. Michael was finally returning his love after all those years of it going unrequited. He couldn't remember a time that he was this happy before. He'd been so confused when he was young, because when he was only a teenager, he didn't know how to handle having those sorts of feelings towards his own brother. In fact, that was what caused him to confuse love and erections, because he felt both around Michael. In the end, things that happened in the past wouldn't matter. Not after this, "I'm sorry" Gob managed to get out between kisses.

Michael looked at his brother, utterly confused, "Sorry for what?" he asked.

"Everything" Gob answered.

"Me, too..." Michael said. He knew that this was wrong, but then why didn't it feel wrong? He didn't think that this was sick and wrong. He was wondering why he hadn't given in sooner. So many disasters could have been avoided then, like Maggie lying to him about that baby, and the whole incident with Rita. Michael also knew what this meant. It meant that he was as (bleep)ed up as the rest of his family, and he was actually okay with it, even though there was no way he could escape that truth now. In fact, he realized that he didn't want to escape the truth. They'd still have to lie to people, but they knew the truth, and that was enough for them.

"So... you wanna go for it?" Gob asked.

"If we get caught, don't blame me" Michael answered. That was just typical of Gob, but that was also one of the things Michael loved about him.

XxX

The next chapter will be up soon. Man, a lot of the stuff that I have to update or post I can't because I can't open the files. Ugh, this is crazy. Well, at least I'm not suffering writers block. Please review! 


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